First Impressions: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deeeeep Conditioner

As you guys know, I love a good (hair) bargain. If I can get my hair into its best condition without putting a significant dent in my pocketbook, I AM ALL FOR IT!! I also like finding great products at local stores so that I am not forced to order products online or pay un-natural amounts of money for 16oz of conditioner. So that's where this review comes in. I have a drugstore find that performs well and costs pennies: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deeeeep Conditioner.





Price: $2.97+tax for 8oz ( I purchased mine from Walmart but you can get yours at CVS, Walgreens, Target, Rite Aid, etc.)

Ingredients: Water, Stearyl Alcohol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearamidopropyl Dimethylamine, Dimethicone, Glutamic Acid, Fragrance, Benzyl Alcohol, EDTA, Melaluece Alternifolia (Tea Tree) Leaf Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Melissa Officinalis Leaf Extract (Balm Mint Extract), Panthenol, Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone.

Their Claims: Super deep conditioning for a seriously simple fix to dry, damaged hair. It's your own little wonder for any wrongdoing done to your 'do. The Moist collection gives dry hair much-needed moisture so you'll say hello to a silky soft, manageable mane.

I used this product after I washed my hair with a sulfate free shampoo. Even though the directions say to leave this conditioner on for 1-3 minutes, I treated this deep conditioner the same way that I treat any other deep conditioner: I applied it to my hair, covered my hair with a plastic cap, and sat under a heat cap for an hour. Once the hour was up, I rinsed the conditioner out and proceeded from there.

I have to say that Aussie Moist 3 Minute Miracle left my hair with pretty good slip. I was able to detangle my hair with relative ease and my hair felt soft after it dried. I was very impressed by the performance of this product for it to cost so little.

In terms of appearance and scent, Aussie 3 Minute Miracle is pretty thick and white in color. It is scented similar to other the scent of other Aussie products but I didn't find it to be particularly overwhelming. The only issue I see with this product is that it contains -cones. Although my hair does pretty good with -cones, I know that there are readers out there who simply who do not include them in their regimen. If your hair is not a lover of -cones, then you may want to pass on this product.


Bottom Line: It is a solid product if you are in need of a good deep conditioner but find yourself strapped for cash. It does have a number of -cones so if you are sensitive to these ingredients or don't include these ingredients in you regimen, you may want to pass. Even though the product is cheap, you may find yourself going through a bottle rather quickly if your hair drinks conditioner like my hair does. That price can add up over time. Nonetheless, I think this product is worth a try!

Wash Day: March 23, 2013

Or "The Wash Day With No Set Style" or "The Wash Day Where I Tried A New Product AND A New Technique"

Yeah. You read that right. With my wash day on Saturday, I knew that I had to wash my hair because my scalp was itching like crazy but I had no idea how I wanted to style my hair. Seriously, I didn't know. But that's ok because I eventually figured it out (read: I bunned lol).

As always, I washed my hair with Shea Moisture Moisture Retention Shampoo. However, this wash, I tried out a new deep conditioner ( and no it isn't an ORS deep conditioner)! This wash I tried out Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Moist Deeeeep Conditioner- which I absolutely loved! You guys can check the review I wrote for it on Wednesday but let me just say that I didn't expect a product that costs so little to be such a solid product. It has definitely earned a place in my 'If I'm Strapped for Cash' rotation. Following that I detangled my hair with a sample pack of Taliah Waajid The Great Detangler because I couldn't find my bottle of it. Seriously, how did I misplace an entire bottle of product!?! I'm pretty mad about that. I'm going to have to get a new bottle sometime this week. I then gathered my hair into a ponytail, placed some Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 and Kemi Oyl on my ends and baggied my ends in an effort to get more moisture to them (you can read how I plan to baby my ends here). On Sunday, I found out that whole baggy method actually works! I'm definitely going to include it in my regimen from here on out.



The stars of this wash day: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle and Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1

That was it, that was my wash day. I tried a new product and a new method and it turns out that they work. So this wash day wasn't a complete waste....I just don't have a new style to show you guys lol. How did your last wash days go?

Mission [Im] Possible: Babying My Ends...

The other day, I did a search and destroy on my hair since I had straightened my hair during my last wash. Thankfully, I didn't have too many splits to get rid of. That in and of itself proved to me that all that blowdrying I was doing last year really did a number on my hair. Now I know for certain that for my hair, I have to keep blowdrying to the absolute minimum. However, I did notice that I still have splits and caused me to really re-evaluate what I have been doing.

And then it hit me: I'm probably still being too rough with my ends.


Let me explain. Throughout your hair journey, you're told that if you want long hair that you have to protect your ends, stay away from heat, etc. So you do that...and your hair grows. And that is fantastic. Until your growth stalls and you can't figure out why you're still at APL or BSL or MBL even though you're doing the same things that you have always done. Your hair growth is probably stalling because you're being too rough with your now fragile ends. I have found that during my hair journey, no one ever tells you that once you hit these great lengths of growth that you have to modify your regimen to ensure that your ends don't break off. Otherwise, you may find yourself stuck at one length. In my case, the ends of my hair have been growing with me since 2009. They're pretty old and weak now. As a result, they really can't take too much direct heat (as I found out) and I think that they are constantly being snagged by the combs that I currently own (all of which have seams). Additionally, I don't really make a focused effort to moisturize my ends. All of these factors combined have kept me at full BSL for a year. It is time to make some changes.

Starting today, I am making some serious modifications to my regimen so that I can give my ends the TLC that they need.

1) I will start using bone combs. On Friday, I ordered two bone combs from Hairsense. These combs are supposed to be really good for your hair because they do not have the seams in the teeth of the combs that can lead to snagging and breakage. I am really excited about these combs and I think that they will keep my hair from splitting and help me retain my length.


2) I will start ponytail baggying. For some reason, I have always overlooked this technique. I just thought it wasn't necessary. However, now I see that baggying may just be the thing to get some extra moisture to my ends. For those unfamiliar, ponytail baggying just requires you to put a small amount of water based moisturizer on your ponytail, seal with your favorite oil, and cover that ponytail with a plastic cap for a period of time (some do it for 2 hours while others do it overnight). I just tried it last night and I have to say that it works! Right now, I am moisturizing my ends with Hawaiian Silky 14 in 1 and sealing with Kemi Oyl. However, on Friday I ordered Hairveda Whipped Creme. As soon as I receive that (and it may take awhile), I will begin moisturizing with that and sealing with Kemi Oyl. To prevent moisture overload, I will only baggy once or twice a week.


3) I will continue my '1 form of direct heat' rule. When I straighten my hair, the only form of direct heat that I use is my flat iron. Every other form of heat that I use is indirect (via my hooded dryer). My hair simply cannot handle 2 forms of direct heat.

4) I will continue to protective style. This is self explanatory. Of course I'm not going to go months at a stretch PSing (since I am trying to enjoy my hair more) but it will continue to be a central part of my regimen.


I'm hoping with these changes to my regimen, I can get to full MBL within the next few months (I'm grazing it now...and yes I know, 'pics or it didn't happen' lol). Ultimately, I hope to get to WL (something I decided a few days ago). What do you guys think?

Sunday Chat: I've Come A Mighty Long Way...

Happy Sunday lovelies!

I hope you all are having a wonderful day! Today, I'm writing a just for fun sort of Sunday chat. The other day it hit me that around this time back in 2008, I started my healthy hair journey. After all this time, I still remember standing over my bathroom sink that day in March, looking at all of my broken hair that carpeted my bathroom sink and floor, and deciding that there is no way that this is normal. My search for 'moisturizing relaxed hair' led me to Healthy Textures and LHCF---and I haven't looked back since.

However, what tickles me the most about my hair journey is how much my products have changed! I can say that the products I used at the start of my journey are definitely not the products that I use today. Back then, I used the following:

Shampoo--CON Detangling Shampoo (green label)

Conditioners--ORS Hair Mayo; Kenra Moisturizing Conditioner

Leave In-- Carol's Daughter Black Vanilla Leave In

Moisturizer-ORS Carrot Oil

Now, yall know that I have never made mention of any of those products on this blog (well except maybe the ORS Carrot Oil since I use that occasionally)! It is amazing to see how I modified my products based on what was best for my hair or because I had to replace them because they were discontinued ( :cough: CON green label). I guess it all highlights that fact that you have to be pretty flexible in your hair journey--what you start with is not necessarily what you end with.


What products did you use at the start of your journey? Have they changed? Stayed the same? Let me know in the comments below!

Wash Day: March 10, 2013

Or the 'I was tired but couldn't skip this wash' wash.

Happy Monday lovelies!

I hope you all are having a wonderful day thus far and are coping well with the time change. Anyway, yesterday I had to wash my hair after attending this natural hair expo and I was in absolutely no mood to do my hair. None. But I had to because my scalp was itching like crazy. I knew I would be asking for trouble if I tried to set my wash day back so I did it anyway.

I didn't style my hair in anything but a high bun though.

As per usual, I washed my hair with Shea Moisture Moisture Retention shampoo and steamed with ORS Hair Repair Nourishing conditioner. However, the highlight of this was this detangling comb I got from the natural hair expo:

My new favorite hair tool. Excuse that hair in the background.

Can I just say that I absolutely love this comb!! It has definitely made detangling so much easier. I love it. I shall never part with it.

I also tried a new product --Taliah Waajid The Great Detangler. I've been looking for a more cost effective replacement for Kinky Curly Knot Today and this is the first product to come to my attention. So far I think it's a great detangling product but I'm a little on the fence about using it as a leave it. My hair didn't seem that much moisturized after I applied it to my hair. I had to follow up with Qhemet Biologics AOHC just to be sure.



After all of that, I prepped my hair for a high bun. Using some Ecostyler gel and my Denman brush, I slicked my hair back, gathered it into a high ponytail and tied my hair down for the evening. I shaped my hair into a bun when I woke up this morning

My high bun. I love how you can see the waves of my new growth.


There you have it. My wash day when I didn't really feel like doing a wash day. I find that when you aren't particularly excited about a wash day, it helps to choose styles that aren't particularly labor intensive.

Was your wash day this weekend? How did it go?

First Impressions: Taliah Waajid Curly Curl Cream

Since I am on a braidout kick, I am on a mission to report to all of you which products to try so that you too can get a fantastic braidout. Today, I'm reviewing a product that you can use to give your braidouts great hold...and it's not a gel! I know that some of my readers are anti-gel, so I do my best to provide you guys with alternatives. Also, I'm still reviewing products you can pick up locally.

So let's get to the review shall we?

Price: $7.99+tax for 6 oz ( I got mine from Rite Aid but it can be purchased at Walgreens as well)

Ingredients: Deionized Water , PEG-75 Shea Butter (Butyrospermum Parkii) , Sage Extract , DMDM Hydantoin , Vegetable Glycerin , Burdoc Protein , Sodium Polyacrylate , Ethylhexyl , Trideceth-6 Fragrance

Their Claims: Non-greasy herbal hair cream that revitalizes curls and eliminates frizz. Conditions and nourishes hair while adding shine and moisture. Holds hair and styles in place. Easily shampoos out with no build up. For curly, kinky, wavy, and coily hair textures,

I used this product to set my braidout on freshly washed and DC'ed hair. As I sat and watched the latest episode of RHOA, I sectioned my damp hair and placed a small amount of Shea Moisture Curl and Style Milk on my hair and followed up with a small amount of the Curly Curl cream. I then plaited my hair, placed perm rods on the end and sat underneath my hooded dryer for an hour and a half. The next morning, I removed my plaits and the results were AMAZING!! My hair was so so defined! I absolutely loved it! Check out the results!


I know right? Definition central! I was thoroughly impressed by Curly Curl cream. Best of all, there was no flaking or white cast left by this product after drying which is a plus.

Texture and appearance wise, Curly Curl Cream is a brownish color and pretty thick, like pudding (sorry. The texture really did remind me of vanilla Jello pudding). It also has a light citrus-esque scent which I found to be pretty pleasant. However, this may be an issue for folks with scent sensitivities. Another thing to keep in mind is that for the folks whose hair doesn't agree with shea butter and/or glycerin, steer clear of this product as it has both. Overall though, I would have to say that Curly Curl cream is a solid product.




Bottom Line: If you want an alternative to using gel for your braidouts, I would say that this product is a great one to try. It gives great hold and definition. However, if you don't like shea butter or glycerin, this would be a product to avoid.

Sunday Chat: Are Natural Hair Care Lines Ignoring Relaxed Heads?

Happy Sunday lovelies!

I hope you all have had a great weekend. Mine has been busy, busy, busy but I can't complain. Today's chat topic is something that has been on my mind for awhile. I have noticed that myself and other relaxed hair bloggers sing the praises of hair care lines such as Qhemet, Bee Mine, HairVeda, Kinky Curly, Shea Moisture, and others. However, I have noticed that those lines rarely ever acknowledge us.

Let me explain.

If you ever follow some of this hair care lines on Facebook, Twitter, and other forms of social media, you will notice that they always highlight the natural hairstyles. Oftentimes, those hair styles will be a gorgeous twist out or puff or whatever but I'm always left saying: Us relaxed heads use your products to style too. Our styles are never prominently featured (yes, we do more to our hair than just wear it straight) At most, all relaxed heads will get is 'oh y'all can use our products too.'


And this is a problem.

To me, hair product is just that...product. Some may serve to moisturize while others provide hold-whatever. I think for those cases it doesn't matter if you're natural or not. The problem comes in when I have folks approach me as though I'm natural because I use 'natural products' (whatever that means) and that lets me know that these lines are not targeted towards us (by us, I' mean relaxed heads) even thought lots of us use those lines with great results. It really makes me kind of sad


This is why I try out products of all sorts for my blog. You guys will notice that I never focus on 'relaxed hair only' lines because my hair simply doesn't work like that. I highlight what works and hopefully it will make others see that what was previously thought a 'natural' hair care line can work for them too.


Anyway, do you think relaxed heads are ignored by natural hair care lines? Do you think is right? Do you think they should make an effort to be more inclusive? I'd love to hear with you think!